Chapter 6 Conclusion and Suggestion
6.2 Implications and Suggestion
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6.2 Implications and Suggestion
6.2.1 Implication of Hypotheses Examination
The findings of this study have practical implications for organizations. Based on the results of Hypothesis 1-5, brand psychological ownership positively affects brand citizenship behavior. Corporate branding positively affects brand psychological ownership and brand citizenship behavior. Organization-level brand CB positively affects the brand equity. Brand psychological ownership fully mediates the relationship between corporate branding and brand citizenship behavior in the multilevel relationship. According to the results, this study sheds some light on how to foster positive brand attitudes and brand behaviors of employees via practices of corporate branding. First, brand psychological ownership positively affects brand citizenship behavior, revealing that employees’positive cognitions contribute to their positive behavior. A franchise organization which hopes customer-facing employees to perform positive behavior (e.g., brand CB) has to first make employees produce positive cognitions (e.g., brand PO) via organizational mechanisms. Second, practices of corporate branding can make employees produce brand psychological ownership, indicating that an organization can utilize practices of corporate branding to make employees identify the corporate brand and perceive they are effective in brand-related activities, thus producing brand psychological ownership (e.g., brand
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accountability). For example, departmental coordination of corporate branding, which contributes to congruence perceptions of employees from different departments (Harris et al., 2001), make employees of different departments easier to share brand knowledge, work together, and then feel responsible for the corporate brand. In the situation of departmental coordination, employees who have mutual trust, respects, and loyalty with colleagues of different departments can produce congruent perceptions toward the corporate brand and have responsibility for enhancing brand equity. Therefore, a franchise organization has to adopt practices of corporate branding (e.g., departmental coordination and interaction with stakeholders) which make employees produce brand psychological ownership contributing to their service behavior. Third, practices of corporate branding can also help an organization promote employees’ brand citizenship behavior, such as consideration and enhancement of brand. Yet, the effects of corporate branding on brand citizenship behavior are not as strong as corporate branding on brand psychological ownership.
Also, the effects of corporate branding on brand citizenship behavior are mediated by the effects on brand psychological ownership. Therefore, managers of corporate branding may have to strengthen the linkage between brand psychological ownership on brand citizenship behavior to help employees produce the altruistic behavior.
Fourth, organization-level brand CB positively affects brand equity, especially,
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indicating that employees’brand altruistic behavior may foster brand equity.
Consequently, the results represent that practices of corporate branding affect the cognitive awareness of membership toward the corporate brand (Hirst, Van Dick and Van Knippenberg, 2009; Meyer, Becker and Van Dick, 2006), employees who identify the corporate brand may produce brand psychological ownership and brand citizenship behavior, thus contributing to the brand equity.
6.2.2 Implication of Detailed Analyses in Individual Level
As for detailed analyses in individual level, most factors of psychological brand ownership have positive effects on brand citizenship behavior. Brand self-efficacy positively affects consideration and enhancement of brand, and sportsmanship and endorsement of brand, indicating that an organization can adopt some practices (e.g., employee participation in decision making) to make employees feel they are effective in brand-related activities and then producing positive brand behaviors, such as the tolerance toward inconvenience caused by brand-related activities. From the in-depth interview of Burger King, first-line employees who have the rights to participate in brand-related activities and response customer feedbacks to the organization feel they are effective in Burger King, thus following brand guidelines before interacting with customers. Therefore, a franchise organization has to adopt an organizational mechanism (e.g., brand leadership and interaction with stakeholders) which can make
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employees feel they express their opinions via interaction with brand leaders and perceive they are effective in brand-related activities, thus making employees follow brand guidelines before interacting with customers. Brand accountability has positive effects on helping behavior of brand, consideration and enhancement of brand, and sportsmanship and endorsement of brand, indicating that an organization can adopt some practices, which let employees feel they are closely associated with the brand, make employees called on to justify their beliefs, feelings, and actions of the corporate brand to others (Lerner et al., 1999; Avey et al., 2009), thus contributing to positive brand behaviors, such as helping behaviors toward internal stakeholders (e.g., colleagues) and external stakeholders (e.g., customers). From the in-depth interview of 7-Eleven, customer-facing employees who feel they are responsible for the corporate brand may service customers as their family and help customers voluntarily.
Therefore, a franchise organization has to adopt an organizational mechanism (e.g., departmental coordination) to make employees have congruent perceptions and feel responsible for the corporate brand and be willing to help internal and external stakeholders (e.g., colleagues and customers). Identification and belongingness of brand also positively affect three factors of brand citizenship behavior, indicating that an organization can adopt some practices (e.g., communication and evaluation of corporate branding) to make employees identify the brand and have belongingness
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toward the brand, thus producing positive behaviors, such as following brand guidelines before interactions with multiple stakeholders. From the in-depth interview of McDonald, employees in McDonald feel their image as the extension of McDonald image and have belongingness to the corporate brand, thus helping customers voluntarily and tolerating inconveniences caused by brand-related activities. Thus, a franchise organization has to adopt organizational mechanisms (e.g., vision and culture of corporate branding) to make employees have congruent personal values, thus making employees identify the corporate brand and have belongingness toward the corporate brand.
6.2.3 Implication of Detailed Analyses in Multilevel Analyses
Corporate branding that focuses on the interaction with multiple stakeholders makes internal stakeholders (i.e. employees) identify with the corporate brands and external stakeholders (e.g., customers) produce positive perceptions toward the corporate brand, thus contributing to the brand equity. In the multilevel analyses, this research has some suggestions on how to foster positive brand cognitions and behavior of employees via corporate branding. First, leadership and interaction with stakeholders of corporate branding, training and selection of corporate branding and communication and evaluation of corporate branding positively affect brand self-efficacy, revealing that an organization can make employees feel they are
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effective in brand-related activities through brand-centered HR practices, brand leadership, interaction with multiple stakeholders and brand communication, which is consistent with arguments of scholars (Balmer, 2001; Burmann et al., 2005; Kay, 2006). As argued by Kay (2006), brand leaders can help employees to develop identities of the corporate brand, and make employees feel effective in brand-related activities in the interactive processes with multiple stakeholders and more willing to share idea and knowledge via practices of brand communication, thus contributing to brand self-efficacy.
Take Wang Steak as an example. Wang Steak which is regarded as the largest and
best-service quality-award winning franchisee organization adopts “Awaking Lion Program” to cultivate brand leaders. The program selects employees with
entrepreneur spirit and creativity for corporate branding, and gives potential brand leaders abundant support for training and enhancement of brand-related knowledge and skills. Employees in Wang Steak have rights to participate in monitoring brand performance and sharing key information with colleagues. Furthermore, Wang Steak also cultivates different brand personality via different specifications of corporate brand, such as customer-facing employees’characteristics and behavioral code (Managers Today, 2008). Based on practices of Wang Steak, this research argues practices of corporate branding (e.g., brand leadership and brand-centered HRM) can
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be adopted by a franchise organization to make employees feel they have ownership of the organization, thus producing brand psychological ownership.
Second, leadership and interaction with stakeholders of corporate branding, departmental coordination of corporate branding, and training and selection of corporate branding positively affect brand accountability. The results represent that employees feel responsible for the corporate brand when brand leaders lead these employees to achieve brand goals. In the departmental coordination, employees who have accesses to brand information and rights to participate in brand-related decision making can feel responsible for enhancing brand values. Take Wang Steak as an example. The practice of “Awaking Lion Program”makes employees perceive that the organization supports them. Consistent with arguments of Masterson et al. (2003), this research finds that employees who perceived organizational support of Wang Steak have belongingness toward the corporate brand, and feel responsible for the brand equity. The enhancement of brand equity is proved by results in many fast-growing restaurant brands (Ministry of Economics, Taiwan, 2010). Therefore, practices of corporate branding (e.g., brand leadership, departmental coordination, and brand-centered HRM) can be adopted to make employees feel responsible for brand-related activities.
Third, vision and culture of corporate branding, and communication and
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evaluation of corporate branding have positive effects on identification and belongingness of brand, representing that an organization can make employees identify the corporate brand and have the feeling of belongingness toward the corporate brand, which is consistent with assertions of scholars (Avey et al., 2009;
Burmann et al., 2005). The results also represent that an organization can make employees identify the corporate brand via transmitting visions, culture, and norms of corporate brand and communicating key information toward employees. Take 7-Eleven as an example. Sincerity, sharing, and innovation which are values proposed by senior mangers to transmit toward organizational members via various kinds of communication channels, such as interaction with multiple stakeholders and formal meetings. Customer-facing employees who are communicated with values of 7-Eleven culture identify the corporate brand, thus producing positive cognitions (i.e., brand psychological ownership).
Fourth, practices of corporate branding, which include leadership and interaction with stakeholders of corporate, training and selection of corporate branding, and communication and evaluation of corporate branding, positively affect consideration and enhancement of brand. When brand leaders help employees to develop identities of the corporate brand (Kay, 2006), employees also identify brand-related regulations and are willing to follow brand guidelines. Also, an organization can make employees
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understand the purposes of brand guidelines and then let them voluntarily follow brand guidelines through brand communication (Harris et al., 2001; Burmann et al., 2005). Therefore, practices of corporate branding (e.g., brand leadership, interaction with stakeholders, brand-centered HRM, and brand communication) can be adopted by a franchise organization to make employees enhance brand-related knowledge and follow brand guidelines before interacting with customers.
Fifth, leadership and interaction with stakeholders of corporate, and training and selection of corporate branding positively affect sportsmanship and endorsement of brand, revealing that brand leadership, interaction with multiple stakeholders, and brand-centered HR practices make employees identify the corporate brand (Kay, 2006) and willing to attenuate inconveniencies caused by brand-related activities. Take Wang Steak as an example. Brand-centered HRM takes customer response as an important performance review criterion, thus making customer-facing employees treat customers as family and tolerate inconveniencies caused by brand-related activities.
Therefore, practices of corporate (e.g., brand leadership, interaction with stakeholders, brand-centered HRM, brand communication) can be adopted by a franchise organization to make employees produce brand-related altruistic spirit and be willing to follow brand-related guidelines before actions.
As for the detailed effects of organization-level brand CB on the brand equity,
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consideration and enhancement of brand, and sportsmanship and endorsement of brand positively affect the brand equity, which is consistent with argument of Burmann et al. (2005). That is, employees with components of brand CB may express positive attitudes, friendliness, helpfulness, and empathy toward customers. Therefore, franchise organizations have to pay attention to brand citizenship behavior, such as consideration and enhancement of brand and sportsmanship and endorsement of brand.
Practices of corporate branding (e.g., brand leadership, interaction with stakeholders, brand-centered HRM, brand communication) can also be adopted by franchise organizations to make employees produce these brand citizenship behavior, thus contributing to brand equity.